Interview with T.Thomason: talks about his evolving sound, new single 'Pleasure,' and his summer tour

Pop artist T. Thomason has just released his new single, “Pleasure,” out today on all available platforms, and this single sets the tone for summer and all that the season has to offer; a nice summer day, with catchy dance beats that makes the listener want to get up and groove.

As Thomason explains, “I wrote ‘Pleasure’ on the last day of summer 2017, on a bike ride from my former basement apartment in North End Halifax to Chocolate Lake. This was a time in my life when I was rediscovering self-care, joy, taking time to find beauty in the world and letting myself daydream. The solo lake trip felt like I was coming back to myself after a long time of just trying to get by and be okay. ‘Pleasure for the sake of pleasure’ became a mantra and then turned into this song.”

We spoke with Thomason about his newly evolved pop sound through the collaboration with his producer, Dave Henriques (Justin Nozuka), and his appearance no CTV’s music-reality television show, “The Launch,” which featured Thomason’s song “Hope,” produced by Alex Hope (Troye Sivan, Tove Lo, Missy Higgins), and his upcoming summer tour.

Your single “Pleasure” is out now. How has your writing and recording process evolved with this single?

“Pleasure” was a track that completely changed with production, which was really exciting. I wrote it on the acoustic guitar, because that’s usually how I write, but I was writing it as a pop track. Dave Henriques, my producer, and I initially demoed “Pleasure” in November 2017 and it just wasn’t quite sitting right with us. This past March we took another swing at it, kind of pulled it apart and brought it into a more modern pop world. It was really great to see something that had sat on the shelf for a while have new life breathed into it so quickly. I think our process evolved by giving this track another chance and not giving up when it wasn’t right the first time around.

Why did you and producer decide that now was the time to develop your new sound, and was it harder or easier than you thought it was going to be?

Dave and I have been working on a new sound probably since 2016. Over the last 4 years we’ve done all kinds of demos, listened to all kinds of new music, and gone to shows together to get inspired. It was the right time because so many things in my life were changing anyway, that it felt natural to shake up music as well. That’s always been where my life is reflected, you know?

You also have a handful of summer tour dates ahead…what are you looking forward to the most about touring?

I’m looking forward to meeting new people on the road. Whether it’s other musicians, crew, fans – it’s just so much fun to meet people who love music as much as you. Probably my absolute favourite is meeting people who have been doing this longer than me and/or better musicians/writers/performers than me. There is so much to learn and the only way to learn it is by getting out there and doing the damn thing.

You also appeared on the reality show “The Launch,” earlier this year. What was that experience like for you, and what was the most recollective memory you took away from it?

“The Launch” was an incredible experience. It was like performance/industry/studio bootcamp. There was so much packed into the short time we were filming and it has definitely had a lasting impact on my life and career. I met so many wonderful people and pushed myself as an artist in a way that was so, so exciting. If I could have half as much as I did on “The Launch” in the next year, I will be happy. My favourite memory is probably being in the studio with Alex. That was a lot of fun and there were some great moments that didn’t make it episode cut that I’ll hold on to for a long time – particularly chanting the “all my people” part of HOPE. Marie-Mai came by and jumped in the booth for that, as well as a couple folks from behind the scenes and it was a great time.

What’s next for you throughout the year?

I have a lot of exciting releases coming this year!! A few more trips back across the pond to the UK, France, and Germany and I’m SO PUMPED. I’ll be keeping you posted on the details (smiles).

Fun Questions

Who was your first concert, and who has been your favorite so far?

First concert was either Avril Lavigne or Bob Dylan. Favourite concert was probably Troye Sivan (smiles).

In your career, who has been the one person to influence you the most?

Oooooo that is such a hard question!!! There are so many artists who have had a significant impact. I think the honest truth in terms of the moooost would be my parents (I’m going to count them as one person (laughs). They have always been incredibly supportive and understanding of everything that comes with chasing this dream. They’re both artists themselves (actors/writers/directors), so they get it, and that is something I’ll forever be so thankful for. I couldn’t have gotten here without them.